Ryan Murken

Your Prep Sports

WEST BRANCH – As players slowly filtered out of the locker room following practice last week West Branch senior Kaiya Luneckas grabbed a basketball and made her way to a hoop at the side of the gym.

With her back to the basket Luneckas began working the same move over and over again under the watch of her father and West Branch assistant coach Tony Luneckas.

A few feet away her younger sister Delaynie fired up shot after shot at a nearby basket.

Kaiya Luneckas continued to work, stopping only for instructions from her coach and father.

With a state tournament opener with fifth-ranked Osage looming a few days away on Tuesday Luneckas wants the extra work to prepare.

Really what the senior wants is to soak in every minute of time with her family before her prep career comes to a close at state tournament in Des Moines this week.  

“All year I’ve said I can’t believe this is my last year with them,” Kaiya Luneckas said. “Every second that I get to spend with them is just a blessing and I’m so glad I’ve gotten to do it.”

Basketball courts, volleyball courts and softball fields have replaced living rooms and kitchen tables as the bonding location for the Luneckas family for years.

Tony has been an assistant to West Branch coach Jarod Tylee since he took over the program nine years ago.  

During that stretch five Luneckas girls have gone through the West Branch basketball program.  First it was older sisters Maddi and Lexi and Trystin was a member of the 2016 West Branch squad that reached the state tournament.

Kaiya and Delaynie will have their state tournament moment when sixth-ranked West Branch (21-3) tips it up against Osage (22-2) in a Class 2A quarterfinal on Tuesday at 8:30 p.m. at Wells Fargo Arena in Des Moines.

“With the Luneckas girls have come success for our program to be honest,” Tylee said. “They work hard, they put time in and they are fun to coach. They are all athletic, they all do different things but they all work hard and that’s the common thing and we’ve been fortunate to have them all go through.”

Athletic success has run in the family. Lexi went to college to play basketball and Trystin recently completed an all-American senior season on the Grandview volleyball team.

Kaiya plans to play softball in college, Delaynie is a budding basketball star.

Each sister has different strengths in different spots but the common theme in the family is the bonding that has occurred through athletics.

“(Delaynie) is my best friend she is always there for me, I’m always there for her,” Kaiya Luneckas said. “We have a great relationship and I’m really glad we do and playing sports has been a big part of that.”

A role player for the Bears the past two seasons the addition of her younger sister to the lineup has brought out the best in Kaiya Luneckas this season.

“We’ve always been best friends, ever since we were little we’ve been pretty much inseparable and always playing together,” Delaynie Luneckas said. “When I was in eighth grade I couldn’t wait to play with her.”

Kaiya averaged 1.9 points and a team-leading 8.2 rebounds per game in her first extended action a year ago.

This season she has emerged as a key contributor for the Bears averaging 4.5 points and 9.5 rebounds per game.

“The way she rebounds the ball and defends whether it’s on the box or out in space at the top of our press she’s just been extremely good for us,” Tylee said. “She’s as big of reason as anybody why we are in the spot that we are in.”

Delaynie has had her own breakthrough season coming off the bench.

The 6-foot-2 sophomore is averaging 4.6 points and 4.2 rebounds per game and leads the Bears with 25 blocked shots.

“She is definitely a super strong offensive player so I have learned a lot from here in a lot of ways,” Kaiya Luneckas said. “It’s great playing with a sister, it’s so special to be able to go through something like this and share with a sibling.”

Scanning the state sheet it’s easy to overlook the contribution the Luneckas sisters have made this season.

Combined they average 9.1 points per game.

However, along with 5-foot-10 senior Mackenzie Heise (5.3 points, 3.3 rebounds) the Luneckas sisters provide an imposing front court for a West Branch team that ranks among the best defensive squads in Class 2A.

“Mac and Kaiya and I all have different kinds of skills so we try to meld it all together and see what we can do,” Delaynie Luneckas said. “We are always learning from each other and trying to help each other improve. We want to build up each other’s game.”  

Kaiya was an eighth grader and Delaynie a sixth grader when West Branch reached the state tournament in 2016.
The sisters have their sights set on helping the Bears claim their first ever win at state.

While it would be a historic win for the program more importantly to the Luneckas family it would be more time together.

“I remember watching Trystin and saying that I wanted to play there someday and I’m really excited to see what we can do there,” Kaiya said. “I want to keep playing as long as I can.”

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